CDNs Become the New Streaming Cost Center (and Moat)
A Value Market Research report projects the global content delivery network (CDN) market to grow from USD 32.57B (2025) and USD 36.20B (2026) to USD 84.40B by 2034 (11.16% CAGR). The report states North America held the largest share (31.65% in 2024) while Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region, and notes that media and entertainment represented over 42.75% of revenue in 2024 with video streaming the largest offering segment. It also highlights trends including multi-cloud adoption, AI/ML-enabled optimization, edge computing for real-time processing, and increased security requirements (e.g., DDoS protection and WAF) as factors influencing CDN demand.
Key Takeaways
- CDN spend is projected to more than double: $36.2B (2026) → $84.4B (2034) at 11.16% CAGR.
- Media & entertainment is the demand engine: 42.75% of CDN revenue in 2024; video streaming is the largest offering segment.
- North America leads today (31.65% share in 2024), but Asia-Pacific is the growth hotspot (23.85% CAGR through 2033).
- Multi-cloud adoption is becoming table stakes—CDNs increasingly win by integrating cleanly across cloud stacks, not just by having POPs.
- Security is merging with delivery: DDoS protection and WAF features are increasingly part of the CDN buying decision.
Why It Matters
For streaming, “CDN” is no longer a plumbing line item—it’s where margin, QoE, and risk management collide. As video remains the biggest load on the network, delivery choices increasingly determine churn (startup latency, rebuffering) and unit economics, especially as services expand into faster-growing APAC markets. The meme to watch: the CDN is morphing into an edge + security control plane, bundling performance tuning, bot/DDoS defense, and real-time processing. That raises the stakes of vendor selection, multi-cloud strategy, and build-vs-buy decisions—because delivery is becoming a competitive differentiator, not just an invoice.
Read full article at valuemarketresearch.com
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